1. Your panel is older than 20 years

2. You hear crackling sounds from the breaker box panel

3. Your main service cable coming into the house has cracks or breaks running up the wall outside (this can cause water to damage the wires, meter, and breaker panel. Corrosion or rust could allow the panel to detach from the wall.)

4. Your appliances are not running at full power (this can indicate loose connections or bad breakers inside the panel)

5. Your circuit breakers frequently trip

6. The lights in your home flicker when other appliancesDivider are working

7. The breakers don’t reset

8. There are burned areas on the breaker panel

9. Your appliances overheat

10. You need additional power (older services used to be 60amp; nowadays, the smallest allowable service is 100a. If you’re thinking about making a major improvement to your home, don’t forget to assess the additional power that you will need. Room additions, kitchen remodels and major appliances such as heating & air conditioning systems, hot tubs, double ovens, garage door openers, and outdoor lights all may require an expanded breaker box and electrical panel. You may have to add outlets to a wall, special 240-volt circuits, or a sub-panel for a generator.

Keep in mind that updating your electrical service includes updating the grounding in your house. Every house is required to have two grounding means inside the electrical panel, including connection to 2 ground rods outside, connection within 5ft of where a cold water metal pipe enters the house, and bonding connection to any metal piping system, natural gas, boiler and hot water pipes inside your home. A proper grounding system is what allows a breaker to
actually trip
if there is a short circuit. If YOU are part of that short circuit, having your grounding correct could save YOUR life!